Quarterback Keenan Reynolds stated during Navy Media Day that one of the main goals for the senior class is to "get the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy back where it belongs."

Step one in that process takes place this Saturday when Navy hosts Air Force in the opening leg of the three-way service academy competition.

One could accurately argue that Saturday's matchup is the most important step since either Air Force or Navy has captured the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy every year since 1997.

Army has not held the three-sided piece of hardware since 1996 and has gone into the season-ending showdown with Navy with a chance to claim the Commander-in-Chief's only twice (2005 and 2012) since then.

The Midshipmen won 14 straight games against Air Force and Army from 2003 through 2009, and the CIC Trophy resided in The Rotunda of Bancroft Hall throughout that time as a result. The Midshipmen also hold the trophy in 2012 and 2013.

Air Force reclaimed the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy last year after defeating Navy 30-21 in Colorado Springs then traveling to West Point and downing Army, 23-6. It marked the 19th time the Falcons have been outright winner of the CIC competition, five more than the Mids.

Mistakes by Navy and big plays from Air Force were the deciding factors in last year's meeting.

Wide receiver Garrett Brown had two touchdown catches to lead Air Force, including a 54-yarder that came off a trick play. Quarterback Kale Pearson lateraled to receiver Jalen Robinette, who then tossed the long pass to a wide-open Brown.

Reynolds lost a fumble on a quarterback keeper and was charged with an interception when safety Christian Spears wrestled a 50-50 ball away from slotback Calvin Cass Jr. in the end zone. The Midshipmen committed five penalties while struggling kicker Nick Sloan missed a short field goal.

"All the things we talked about not doing – turnovers, penalties, missing field goals. It's like déjà vu and that's not us," Niumatalolo bemoaned afterward. "We've always been a program that takes care of the football, doesn't kill ourselves with penalties."

Indeed, that painful defeat at the hands of Air Force capped a three-game losing streak that left Navy 2-4 at the midway mark of the season. Turnovers, missed field goals and other self-inflicted wounds were the root cause of the team's struggles to that point.

None of those problems has cropped up so far this season as Navy has performed impressively in opening 3-0 for the first time since 2006. The Mids have not started a season with four straight wins since 2004.

Air Force (2-1) comes to Annapolis off a 35-21 loss to second-ranked Michigan State. The Falcons held the Spartans to just 77 rushing yards, but allowed quarterback Connor Cook to throw for 247 yards and four touchdowns.

That game marked the first start of the season for quarterback Karson Roberts, who threw an interception and was responsible for one of two lost fumbles by Air Force. Roberts was replacing Nate Romine, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against San Jose State. Roberts played in 10 games as a sophomore in 2013 and Navy was one of three starts he received.

"This kid knows the offense and has experience," Niumatalolo said of Roberts. "I thought he played pretty well against Michigan State."

If the majority of games over the past decade are an indication, yards will be tough to come by and points will be at a premium when these rivals square off. Navy's triple-option is slightly different than Air Force's multiple spread option, but in many respects the teams are mirror images of each other.

"I'm sure it's going to be a typical Navy-Air Force slugfest," Niumatalolo said. "There are a lot of similarities between the teams. We both have tough, hard-nosed players. We both run the option. They know us and we know them. We are very familiar with a lot of their players because we tried to recruit them. Air Force tried to recruit a lot of our guys as well."

Air Force is ranked second nationally in rushing offense with 367 yards per game on the ground, just four more than third-ranked Navy averages. Meanwhile, the Falcons and Midshipmen are 124th and 127th, respectively, in passing offense.

"It's going to be a short game. Both teams will probably get eight or nine possessions at the most," Niumatalolo said. "It's going to be a real grind-it-out type of game and we will need to take advantage of every opportunity we have offensively. As always when you have a game between two evenly-matched teams, turnovers could be the difference. We have to do a good job of taking care of the ball."

While the race for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is foremost in the minds of players and coaches on both sides, there is a new element involved with the rivalry. Navy is now in the American Athletic Conference, which is a "Group of Five" competitor of the Mountain West Conference of which Air Force belongs.

Head-to-head games between schools in the AAC and MWC are crucial because the highest-rated champion of the Group of Five conferences earns an invitation to one of the "New Year's Six Bowls" that are dominated by the so-called Power Five conferences.

"Yes, we are now representing our conference, but that is really secondary. All we are worried about right now is figuring out a way to win this game," Niumatalolo said. "We want to beat Air Force because it's Air Force and because winning the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is the most important goal of our program."